TEDxPolkStateCollege is accepting speaker applications and nominations for its inaugural event scheduled for Saturday, April 7, 2018, at the Polk State Center for Public Safety in Winter Haven.

The independently organized event, licensed by TED, will feature local voices and pre-recorded TED Talks under the theme of “Connect, Create, Communicate.”

“Our theme will bring together concepts that are essential to living in today’s world, but that intersect in diverse and constantly changing ways,” Polk State Professor and TEDxPolkStateCollege Organizer Jeri Hammond said. “This event will allow individuals – both from the College and local community – to become part of a global conversation about our shared future.”

Launched in 2009, TEDx is a program of locally organized events that bring communities together to share TED-like experiences. Some of the best talks from TEDx events have gone on to be featured on TED.com and have garnered millions of views from audiences across the globe.

“Bringing TEDx to the Polk County community is an exciting opportunity for Polk State College,” Polk State President Angela Garcia Falconetti said. “With a broad range of perspectives, experiences, and disciplines coming together under one roof, TEDxPolkStateCollege will be an engaging, thought-provoking event for everyone involved.”

Prospective TEDxPolkStateCollege speakers and performers should have an “idea worth spreading.”

“With a broad range of perspectives, experiences, and disciplines coming together under one roof, TEDxPolkStateCollege will be an engaging, thought-provoking event for everyone involved,” Polk State President Angela Garcia Falconetti said.

“Talks should address some aspect or interpretation of the event’s theme in a way that will teach, inspire, entertain, or motivate a diverse audience to take action in ways that improve the community and the world,” Polk State Professor and TEDxPolkStateCollege Co-Organizer Dale Anderson said.

Speaking at a TEDx event is an exciting opportunity, but there is a substantial time commitment that involves working with a coach to refine the idea, prepare a transcript, and rehearse the talk.

More information, as well as the application and nomination forms, is available at TEDxPolkStateCollege.com. The deadline for submissions is February 7.

TEDxPolkStateCollege will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 7, 2018, at the Polk State Center for Public Safety, 1251 Jim Keene Blvd., Winter Haven. Speakers and ticket information will be announced in February.

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.

About TEDTED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California almost 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED Conferences invite the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes on a diverse mix of topics. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The TED2014 Conference takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia, along with the TEDActive simulcast in neighboring Whistler. TEDGlobal 2014 will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TED Talks are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; and TEDBooks, short e-books on powerful ideas. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world get help translating their wishes into action; TEDx, which supports individuals or groups in hosting local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

About Polk State CollegeLocated in Winter Haven, Florida, and established in 1964, Polk State College is a multi-campus institution serving more than 16,000 students with Bachelor of Applied Science, Bachelor of Science, Associate in Arts, and Associate in Science degrees, as well as a wide range of certificate and workforce training options. The College also operates three charter high schools.